Spotify, Sony Music, Warner Music Group Call Off Grammy Week Events as Cancellations Mount Following Deadly L.A. Wildfires
Spotify’s annual Best New Artist pre-Grammy showcase is the last music event to be canceled in the wake of the Los Angeles fires. And while the 2025 Grammy Awards are still slated to take place at the beginning of February, the three major labels have opted to cancel their Grammy week events.
Universal Music Group, parent company to acts like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, announced Monday that all of its Grammy-related events — including its annual artist showcase (typically held the Saturday before as a forum to debut new acts and highlight its Grammy nominees) and its after-party would be canceled. The Santa Monica-based company, whose employees living in nearby Palisades were hit particularly hard, instead said it would be redirecting resources to aid wildfire relief efforts.
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Sony Music Entertainment, home to Columbia, RCA and Epic Records, also called off its Grammy afterparty. The coveted invite has previously brought guests like Adele, Harry Styles and Doja Cat to celebrations held at the Bel Air Hotel, Hollywood’s Mother Wolf and Neuehouse, among other locations. The company will instead redirect funds to focus on local relief efforts in L.A.
Warner Music Group, whose acts include Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars and Benson Boone, did the same.
So far, the Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala, which celebrates its 50th year, is still on per sources.
The 2025 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A. Beyoncé leads the pack of nominees with 11 nominations. Kendrick Lamar, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish are all up for seven awards, with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan close behind with six nominations.
See below for a list of additional Grammy week events impacted by the wildfires:
Spotify Best New Artist Party: The top streamer is canceling its pre-Grammy concert that usually features performances by those nominated for best new artist. “We’ve spent the last few days considering how to best show up for L.A., the music industry, and the creative community. Ultimately, we’ve decided that the most impactful approach is canceling all our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party, and redirecting funds to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations,” Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience, said in a blog post.
MusiCares Person of the Year: The Grateful Dead will still be honored at the pre-Grammy event on Jan. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but the night will include “a special appeal for donations to support wildfire relief efforts,” the Recording Academy told members in an email Tuesday.
BMG Pre-Grammy Party: The music company is canceling its annual event set for Jan. 28. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the firefighters and first responders in Los Angeles County who are working tirelessly to contain the fires,” BMG said in a statement.
The Resonator Awards: Scheduled for Jan. 28, the event celebrating achievements of trailblazing women in music production and engineering has been postponed. Nonprofit parent organization We Are Moving the Needle launched a wildfire relief fund of micro-grants.
Milk & Honey/Reservoir Music Pre-Grammy Celebration: The Pre-Grammy celebration has been pushed to 2026 following discussions with sponsor partners.
Billboard: The music magazine announced Tuesday that it will be canceling all of its Grammy week activities, including its Managers to Watch and Power 100 events. “Many members of our staff and community have been personally affected, and our core focus at this time is allocating the resources we have to support long term recovery for the city we call home,” Billboard said in a statement on social media. The company will also be donating to California Community Foundation, Pasadena Community Foundation and Baby2Baby.
Clio Music Awards: The award show centered around creative marketing, advertising and communication work in music – initially scheduled for Jan. 30 – has been canceled. The award show announced a portion of the proceeds from this year’s program will be donated to Music Cares and It’s Bigger Than Us L.A. “When the time is right, we will announce the Grand Clio Music and Of The Year winners on Clios.com and MuseByClios.com and look forward to celebrating the incredible work from 27 countries around the world that has earned this year’s accolades,” the company said in a statement.
ASCAP Grammy Brunch in the Garden: ASCAP, the association for songwriters, composers and music publishers, has canceled its 2025 Grammy brunch, the association announced Wednesday. “To support our LA Community, ASCAP has created an emergency relief fund in the amount of $1 million for ASCAP songwriter and composer members in the Los Angeles area who have suffered loss or damage to their homes or studios, or been evacuated from their homes as a result of the LA fires,” ASCAP said in a statement.
Femme It Forward High Tea: The female-led music and entertainment company scrapped its High Tea Grammy event on Wednesday due to the wildfires, noting on Instagram, “While we won’t be gathering over tea as planned, let’s hold space for healing, community, and gratitude. Thank you all for understanding. Stay safe, take care of each other, and let’s keep the love going.”
The Core Entertainment’s Second Annual Grammy Week Kick-Off Party: The annual Grammy week kick-off party hosted by the management and entertainment company’s co-founders Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman has been postponed. The event was originally scheduled to take place on Jan. 27 – a new date hasn’t been announced. “The safety and well-being of our community is our top priority,” the hosts said in a statement.
Primary Wave Grammy Party: The music company canceled its pre-show party, originally set for Feb. 1 at the Waldorf Astoria, and announced it would be making donations to SoCal Fire Fund, We are Moving the Needles, Black Music Action Coalition, LA Fire Relief Fund and Hollywood Food Coalition.
More to come.
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